Qst about past: National & Bata

[laksaboy]

Hill Street is a very interesting area. I personally like to call it 'the backdoor of Funan'. You can see some prominent buildings: the red Central Fire Station, a Freemason Lodge, Armenian church, Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Further up the hill from the Masonic Lodge is the Registry of Marriages.

North of Hill Street is Bras Basah and Bugis. South of Hill Street is the Singapore River, Clarke Quay and Chinatown.

 

[Ramseth]

Hill Street is a very interesting area. I personally like to call it 'the backdoor of Funan'. You can see some prominent buildings: the red Central Fire Station, a Freemason Lodge, Armenian church, Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Further up the hill from the Masonic Lodge is the Registry of Marriages.

Unless you're sure you're bringing the right woman up there, it can become Registry of Nighmares!

 

[wikiphile]

Let me tell you the truth. Just directly opposite old Hill Street HC is Funan Mall. Funan Mall foodcourt wasn't making money. Many stall tenants were leaving and they tried moving their foodcourt up to top floor (before Challenger came) and down to basement, still not making money. Couldn't raise rental as stall tenants would simply leave instead of paying higher rentals. Most logical people went over to Hill Street to eat cheap and good stuff. Funan Mall was owned and run by Pidemco, now merged with DBSLand as Capitaland under Temasek. Need I say more? I think you should be able to figure it out yourself.

Very plausible, i will not suan you this time round. Makes a whole lot of sense, thanks for the explanation

 

[johnny333]

I agree. Its a sad reality indeed. A lot of places where we grew up knowing are not in existence anymore. All we have are pictures and memories. The Land Acquisition Act and the destruction of the old to make way for the new has robbed us of our roots. I can even find the place I grew up at. The rivers, streams and fields where I used to play as a child are all gone. Old cinemas where I used to watch movies are all gone. Zenith, Mercury, Kok Wah.

The sad thing that is that back then I never took the oppurtunity to explore the place & now it's all gone. I've only got hazy memories of Hock Lam Street, such as the spare parts soup, wanton mee, sour plum juice stall, but I'm sure there are other things there:o

Same thing is happening today Since the PAP can push the costs of any renovation to the consumer it doesn't cost them anything to just demolish everything in sight & just rebuild.

 

[GoldenDragon]

The music shop you are referring to I believe is Seasons.

I think it was Swee Lee.

 

[scroobal]

Between Bata and Capitol, the sidelane had a school uniform shop and chappati kopitiam. Just before school start, all rich parents with their expensive cars would jam the place to buy uniform.

 

[scroobal]

Except for bata shoes, school uniform, jeans, sports equipment and psychdelic t-shirts, i can't recall it as gathering place after school.

 

[johnny333]

Hill Street is a very interesting area. I personally like to call it 'the backdoor of Funan'. You can see some prominent buildings: the red Central Fire Station, a Freemason Lodge, Armenian church, Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Further up the hill from the Masonic Lodge is the Registry of Marriages.

North of Hill Street is Bras Basah and Bugis. South of Hill Street is the Singapore River, Clarke Quay and Chinatown.

This area used to be the "downtown" of Spore & not Orchard. The old Orchard area was quieter with only Liat Towers, Shaw Cinema, Fitzpatrick, Cold Storage, i.e. an angmo enclave. There were many shops along North Bridge Rd. The Metro Dept Sore had it's 1st store around the corner where on the same Street, was Polar Cafe.

Nearby was the Malayan Publishing House, later renamed MPH. The Wesley Methodist Book Room is now the Philathelic Store. ACS is now the National archives. The area where the Marriage of Registry is located was empty & used by ACSians to play catching etc while waiting for their rides home.

The location of Funan was where Hock Lam Street used to be. Eventually the shops opposite was "acquired" and they built Colombo Court. That eventually made way for the Supreme Couts.

Today the area is quite dead except for Funan & the Burmese which are using Peninsula for little Myanmar.

 

[red amoeba]

i recall upstairs of that shop that sell cheap CDs, sports goods whatever were language schools or something like that.

 

[erection2015]

the beefball soup?

I've only got hazy memories of Hock Lam Street, such as the spare parts soup, wanton mee, sour plum juice stall, but I'm sure there are other things there:o

 

[erection2015]

my mum used to bring me to majeed along east coast road. There used to be a sidelane there and a big sized afro guy would have his tricycle there

selling some kind of drink.....coconut perhaps?

Between Bata and Capitol, the sidelane had a school uniform shop and chappati kopitiam. Just before school start, all rich parents with their expensive cars would jam the place to buy uniform.

 

[johnny333]

I think it was Swee Lee.

I think Swee Lee was closer to the Capitol Building Opposite the MRT exit, where they had all fast food restaurants.

 

[HTOLAS]

Merlin Restaurant with the plastic replicas of their dishes at the front was a treat for me back then.

 

[sfugel]

I worked in John Littles during my school break in the 70's.Same thing we did,change price tags,tuck small items into our shoes,socks,underwear,etc. Yes I regret my temptation as well......

 

[GoldenDragon]

That area used to be Little Britain. Walk infront across North Bridge Road and you'd be at St, Andrew's Anglican Cathedral. Walk behind into Armenian Street and you'd be at MPH and National Library. The British Army fort was up the hill, that's called Fort Canning if you don't already know. In Singlish, it's called Royal Hill.

An Ah Beng school was nearby. Armenian Street? Tao Nan School. Char kway teow and hay piah ngo hiang at the kpt opposite brings back fond memories.

 

[GoldenDragon]

I worked in John Littles during my school break in the 70's.Same thing we did,change price tags,tuck small items into our shoes,socks,underwear,etc. Yes I regret my temptation as well......

A friend of mine worked there too, in the late 70s. He told me the same things you expressed here!

 

[johnny333]

That's already two generations past. Most of the famous Hill Street HC stalls came from there, e.g. char kway teow, turtle soup, bak kut teh, duck rice, hay mee, wanton mee, sugar cane and lime juice drinks etc. Today, even Hill Street HC is gone. Capitol is no longer a cinema but the Bata shop is still there next to it.

Some of the hawkers from Hock Lam Street ended up in the Hill St FC. When the Hill St FC was closed many suspected it was to get rid of the cheap competition. Today that area is still vacant. Proof that the piece of land was not part of any vital re-development. Since they demolished Hill St FC, I avoid the place since the main reason I go there was for the food

Some people might be confused about the discussion about Bata. There was the original Bata, in it's own buildiing and the old location but in the new Peninsula building Bata II.

 

[johnny333]

Merlin Restaurant with the plastic replicas of their dishes at the front was a treat for me back then.

That was I think in the 70's.

Strange that there were many good wanton noodle places back then: opposite People's Park, in Peace Mansion, corner of Victoria Street & Bras Basah,.. etc However today many of these places are gone. I suppose victims of the PAP policy of high rentals:(

 

[streetsmart73]

I was visiting the area around Peninsula & noticed that they are upgrading the area around Capitol again. I can remember back in the old days when there was a car park next to Capitol Theatre, next to this was the National show room, then Bata, then some shops like Balbir selling sports gear, a music shop selling musical instruments, etc.

Trying to remember what was behind the National showroom. I think it was something to do with the British forces, a club for the British Does anyone have memories of what was in that area? In particular behind the National showroom?

hi there


1. bro, no offence.
2. honest, this should be a very long time ago.
3. wow! history.

 

[johnny333]

hi there


1. bro, no offence.
2. honest, this should be a very long time ago.
3. wow! history.

No offence taken This is not ancient history. This is still under LKY's time & I & others are still around to remember some of the details

When your time comes, you will of course remember the good old days under LHL & some future young Sporean will probably say "very long time ago" lah